from The Chronicles of Amherth introduction:
Amherth is a campaign setting designed to provide a ready-made, and most of all, manageable fantasy setting from which to quickly launch a new campaign. World history, backstory, timeline, and metaplot have all been kept to a minimum in order to help facilitate this goal.

Amherth Overview

The people of Amherth are descendants of a long-extinct race of godlike beings known only as the Ancients. Humanity is the dominant force in the Known World, while most of the nonhuman races have retreated from public view. The wilderness is a dark and dangerous place, filled with monsters and other perils, and the threat of war is ever present, with civilization constantly hanging on the brink of collapse. With its bleak world history, apathetic gods, and evil magics resurfacing from the past, the Chronicles of Amherth lends itself towards a dark fantasy style of play.